There’s something about Easter cards that invites bright color, playful layers, and just a little bit of dimension. For this set of three handmade Easter cards, my goal was simple: create bold, cheerful designs that look detailed and layered—but are still manageable for beginner to intermediate cardmakers. I filmed the full process in my Fast and Fabulous Card in Four Easy Steps | Happy Easter Card  video so you can see how everything comes together visually. Here on the blog

Shaker cards are one of those cardmaking styles that many crafters love to look at—but hesitate to make. Between the foam tape, alignment, and fear of things shifting, it can feel like a lot. For this Valentine’s Day project, my goal was to create a borderless shaker card that feels polished and playful, without the usual stress that comes with shaker construction. I wanted this card to focus on design decisions  rather than complicated assembly. Ink blending, faux bleaching,

If you’ve ever sat down to make a card and gotten stuck before you even started  because you couldn’t decide on colors, you’re not alone. I hear this all the time from cardmakers—especially those who love clean and simple designs but feel unsure about color theory. That hesitation can take the fun right out of crafting. For this spring card, my goal was to remove that roadblock entirely. Instead of starting with a stamp or die, I started with a color palette —specifically a s

One of the questions I hear most often from cardmakers is, “How do you know which Copic colors to use?”  Coloring stamped images can feel intimidating, especially when you’re staring at a big marker collection and don’t know where to start. For this card, my goal was to take that pressure off and show a more intuitive way to make color decisions—by letting the pattern paper do the work for you. I created this cute and whimsical handmade card as an example of how pattern paper

When I sit down to make a Valentine’s Day card, my goal is almost always the same: something cheerful and heartfelt that doesn’t require overthinking every single step. This project started with that exact intention—creating a handmade card that feels finished and polished, but still relaxed and approachable from start to finish. One of the biggest challenges I hear from cardmakers is alcohol marker coloring. Not the coloring itself, but the decisions  that come with it—what

When it comes to Valentine’s Day cards, I hear the same concern every year: “I want to make something cute and thoughtful, but I don’t want to overthink it.”  That’s exactly the problem I wanted to solve with these three handmade Valentine’s Day cards. The goal with this project was to show how die cutting and pattern paper mixing  can do the heavy lifting for you—no complicated coloring, no guessing if things coordinate, and no pressure to reinvent the wheel. I shared the fu

Sometimes I sit down to make a card and realize the real challenge isn’t how  to make it—it’s deciding where to start . Too many supplies, too many options, and suddenly the creative spark feels a little stuck. For this Coffee & Magic card, my goal was to simplify those decisions while still creating a card that feels polished, layered, and fun. I wanted a design that leaned heavily on die cutting and pattern paper, with no complicated coloring or fussy steps. The video walks

One of the things I hear most often from cardmakers is, “I love my dies… but I feel like I use them the same way every time.”  That’s exactly the problem I wanted to solve with this project. Instead of reaching for a standard card base, I challenged myself to design an off-the-edge card in a nontraditional size—one that lets the die shape take center stage and feel intentional, not awkward. This jacket-shaped card was inspired by fan art (with a little Grease flair), but the

Mixing pattern paper on handmade cards is one of those things that sounds  more complicated than it really is—especially when you’re also stamping and coloring an image. I hear from cardmakers all the time who love patterned paper but hesitate to use it because they’re worried the card will feel too busy or out of control. That’s exactly the problem I wanted to solve with this winter card. I created this project to show how stamping, alcohol marker coloring, ink blending, and

I recently shared a full turnabout stamping tutorial over on the Miss Ink Stamps blog , where I walked through how I created two Magic Personality Collection cards from one stamped panel using the Cunning Stamp Set (from the Personality Bundle) . That post focuses on the product and the step-by-step process, so today I wanted to take a step back and talk about the why  behind this design and how you can adapt the idea with whatever you already have in your craft room. This po

When I sit down to make a gift card holder, my goal is always the same: I want it to feel just as special as a traditional card, not like an afterthought. Gift cards are practical, but the presentation is what turns them into something memorable. For this project, I wanted a design that felt playful and polished, while still being approachable for everyday cardmaking. This mouse-themed gift card holder card does exactly that. The combination of die cutting and pattern paper m

Scene cards can feel intimidating. There are a lot of moving pieces, and it’s easy to get stuck wondering where to start  or how to make everything work together . For this project, my creative goal was to build a theatre-style scene card that feels detailed and story-driven, without turning into an overwhelming design puzzle. I shared the process on video so you can see how the card comes together visually, but I also wanted to take a moment here on the blog to talk about th

One of the questions I hear most often from cardmakers is how to make die cuts feel less flat—especially if coloring isn’t their favorite part of the process. That was the exact problem I wanted to solve with today’s card. This Valentine’s Day card for a friend focuses on simple layers, thoughtful design choices, and just a touch of ink blending to create depth without adding complexity. I walk through the process on video so you can see how everything comes together visually

I recently shared a full, start-to-finish tutorial over on the Miss Ink Stamps blog  where I walked through how to create these Magical House Personality cards  using collage stamping and dies. That post is very product- and process-focused, so today I wanted to take a step back and talk about the thinking  behind the designs instead—the creative decisions, what worked, and how you can adapt this idea using supplies you already own. These projects ended up being one of those

If you’ve ever wanted to try a shaped card but felt a little unsure where to start, today’s project is a great place to begin. Shaped cards are a fun way to move beyond standard rectangle card bases, and with the right dies and coordinated products, they’re much more approachable than they might seem at first glance. For this card, I used the Abbey Mini Album/Card Die Set from Scrappy Boy Stamps  to create a shaped card base that feels elegant and unique while still being ea

There’s just something extra special about a clean and layered Valentine card, especially when it has a little touch of magic mixed in. For today’s card, I’m sharing a Valentine’s Day design created with Pixi Dust Designs , and it came together beautifully using the Magic World 6×6 Paper Pad  as the starting point. I adhered a piece of patterned paper to a top-folding A2 card base to instantly set the tone, then reached for the Vintage Scroll Die Set . Cutting the scroll piec

Fun fold cards are one of my favorite ways to add that wow  factor to a handmade card without making things complicated—and today’s Pop Up Block Fun Fold Valentine card  is a perfect example of that. This design looks interactive and impressive, but it’s built with simple folds, layered pattern paper, and a few well-chosen dies and stamps. If you enjoy creating cards that fold flat for mailing but pop open with a little surprise, this fun fold design is one you’ll want to kee

One of my favorite ways to remove the guesswork from coloring stamped images is to let my pattern paper do the heavy lifting —and today’s Warm Wishes clean & layered card is a perfect example of that approach. If you’ve ever felt stuck trying to decide which Copic markers to use, this technique is a total confidence booster, especially for beginner to intermediate cardmakers. For this card, I started with a holiday-themed pattern paper pack  and used it to create a non-holida

I recently had the chance to unbox and test several of the newest tools from My Sweet Petunia , including the MISTI LITE , Petunia Platform , Power Mag , and Mini Pawn Magnets , and I couldn’t wait to put them through their paces using supplies from my own stash. I tested the MISTI LITE with both clear and red rubber stamps and tried stamping on card fronts, envelopes, inside a book, and even paired it with stencils to see how versatile it really is. I love testing tools in

There’s something so special about creating a clean & simple baby’s first Christmas card , and this project felt especially fitting for my Gingerbread Greetings Video Series  for December 2025. For today’s card, I used the Baby’s 1st Christmas Stamp Set  from The Rabbit Hole Designs  to stamp the presents, toy train, and box car images onto Hammermill Smooth 100 lb Cardstock with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink . I kept the look soft and sweet by coloring everything with my Copic m